Raff
was prolific. There are almost 300 compositions, many of which contain
several pieces. As well as his 216 opus numbers there
are 62 other substantial works which he left unnumbered at his death, including
operas, orchestral suites and overtures, a concerto and sets of piano
studies. Some of his early works were lost
or destroyed, but Raff's revisions of others are totally new works, retaining only
the key, title and opus number of the originals. He also made arrangements of many of his works. All of this makes cataloging Raff's oeuvre a challenge, so to help guide you through his vast output, the catalogue is presented in three formats:

Opus Number order shows Raff's works listed in the order of the opus numbers he gave them, and separately the works which he left without opus numbers, listed in order of the WoO numbers allocated to them some years ago. For clarity works which have been lost, and new works to which Raff allocated an opus number used by an earlier piece, are also listed separately.

By Genre shows Raff's works listed by the genre to which they belong: symphonies, operas, piano trios etc. Raff's many arrangements of his own works and his arrangements of the works of other composers are listed separately.

The following symbols and conventions have been used in the catalogue:

CD recording. Click on the icon for the recording's Discography entry.

LP recording. Click on the icon for the recording's Discography entry.

Brief description and audio excerpt. Click
on the icon to hear
an excerpt from the work and read a brief description of it in the Brief Desriptions section.

Detailed description. Click on the icon for
a closer look at the work in the Detailed Descriptions section.
There will be several audio examples if it has been recorded.

Analysis. Click on the icon for an extensive descriptive essay on the work in the Analysis section.

Works without Opus Nos. WoO. (Werke ohne Opuszahl) numbers have been allocated to works to which Raff did not allocate Opus Numbers. These generally follow the date of completion order.

Lost Works. These are shown greyed out in the Catalogue and for clarity are also listed separately in the Catalogue in Opus Number order.

Projected Works. Because they are to some extent conjectural, these works have not been listed in the main catalogue pages, but are listed seperately. Each has been allocated an RP. (Raff Project) number.

Rewritten works. Raff re-used the Opus Numbers of several early works for later compositions. In the Opus Number Order and By Genre Catalogues, these later compositions have the Opus Number greyed out.

Arrangements. Details of arrangements made by Raff of his own works are listed in the notes, and for clarity they are also listed separately in the Catalogue by Genre.

Language. All titles are given in the original language (German, French or Italian) as published, followed by an literal English translation unless it needs no translation (for example: Mazurka). Where the translated title needs further amplification, this is enclosed in [ ] ( for example: First Grand Sonata [Violin Sonata No.1]).

Dates. Dates of composition and publication are generally taken from two sources: Albert Schäfer'sChronologisch-systematisches
Verzeichnis der Werke Joachim Raff's of 1888 (SCH) and Theodor Müller-Reuter'sLexikon der deutschen Konzertliteratur of 1909 (MR). Where SCH and MR differ, this is noted.

Publishers and Editions. Publication details are taken from SCH and MR. Where SCH and MR differ, this is noted. Foreign or Modern editions have been ignored unless they are the only editions.

Notes. These are generally abridgements of entries in SCH and MR. They include whether a work has been lost, remains in manuscript only, was published in a collected edition or was arranged by Raff. Differences between SCH and MR are detailed.

Trying to find a scores? Go to the Scores section, for the publishers of modern editions and facsimilies and the library locations of original editions.

Need
More?
A definitive 314 page Catalogue of Raff's Music has been published by raff.org. It contains much
more information than can be included on the website and can be ordered direct from the Raff Shop.